Bhubaneswar: The Revenue Department of the state government today held a meeting with the Software Development Unit (SDU) of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Pune, to discuss the implementation and modernisation of the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) in Odisha.

The primary objective of the initiative is to make the land and property registration system in the state more simplified, transparent, efficient and citizen-friendly, said the Revenue Department.

Presiding over the high-level meeting, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari emphasised the need to make the state’s land and property registration system more transparent, robust and technology-driven. He underscored the importance of leveraging digital technology to strengthen the registration ecosystem and ensure efficient, accountable and citizen-centric service delivery.

The discussion focused on streamlining the registration process through digital technology, improving the quality of services provided to citizens, enhancing the operational efficiency of registration offices and ensuring greater transparency and accountability in administrative procedures.

NGDRS is a national initiative undertaken by the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) under the Ministry of Rural Development of the Union Government. Based on the concept of ‘One Nation, One Registration’, the system provides a comprehensive digital platform that can be customised to meet the specific requirements, rules and regulations of individual states.

Through NGDRS, citizens can access a range of online services, including document preparation, property valuation, determination of stamp duty and registration fees, online payment of applicable charges, appointment scheduling and application status tracking. These facilities are expected to reduce the need for repeated visits to registration offices, minimise procedural errors and reduce the possibility of unnecessary delays in the registration process.

The meeting also deliberated on integrating various functions of Sub-Registrar Offices into a unified digital framework. These include application scrutiny, identity verification and biometric authentication, digital approval of documents, record preservation and post-registration services. The use of digital dashboards was also discussed to enable senior officials to monitor registration progress, pending cases and office-wise performance more effectively.

The scope for further modernisation of the system was also discussed, including an advanced technology-driven software architecture, data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Geographic Information System (GIS) and integration with land records. The implementation of these proposed features will be taken up in a phased manner, subject to the state’s requirements, policy decisions and technological preparedness.

The meeting also discussed initiating implementation in selected registration offices in the first phase, followed by its gradual expansion across the state. The Minister emphasised the importance of studying successful implementations of the system in other states to identify best practices and ensure its effective adoption in Odisha.